Democrats can’t rely on economy; Boehner said to back limited immigration reform

President Obama and congressional Democrats may not be able to rely on the economic recovery to boost their chances in November’s midterm elections, the Hill reports Thursday. Experts in battleground states say other issues, including Obamacare, could loom larger.

Could 2014 be the year Congress reaches a compromise on overhauling the U.S. immigration system? The New York Times looks at House Speaker John Boehner’s signaling an embrace of limited changes to the system, as well as other House Republicans’ plans for piecemeal movement via individual immigration bills.

The beginning of 2014 is a “pivotal” moment for liberals, according to the Washington Post’s the Fix blog. The liberal movement has a pair of emerging stars in positions of immense power, says the Post: Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton. And with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio now sworn in, an anticipated leftward lurch in city government will be put to the test. “If his agenda proves popular, it will mean good news for the liberal movement more broadly. If not, then it’ll be bad news for liberals — even those who reside outside the five boroughs,” says the Post.

Meanwhile, many in the U.S. feel as if the recession never ended, reports CNBC.com. That’s despite the economy’s finally accelerating six years after the start what’s become known as the Great Recession, housing and stock prices rising, unemployment falling, and the U.S. budget deficit shrinking.

Count Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts among the enemies of the automatic budget cuts known as the sequester. He used his year-end report to call for more funding for the federal courts and to slam the sequester’s effect on the judiciary, reports Politico.